Swans, 'My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky' (Young God)

This pioneering no-wave act went into hibernation in 1997, but the hiatus hasn't sapped leader Michael Gira's desire for renewal and redemption through spectacular destruction: After a nine-minute opener that lays waste with creepy jet-engine roar, guitar chug, and lyrics about a "zero man," Gira delivers "Reeling the Liars In," a catchy campfire ditty about doing terrible things to dishonest people. Recognizable shapes of jazz and post-rock often accompany Gira's baritone croon, but they're always delivered between passages of fastidiously crafted clamor that's as cauterizing as ever.